Day 14 Munich to Venice - Passo Gardena

Today has been a huge, wonderful day.  The weather changed just in time for us to enjoy what is the best scenery on the whole trip.  What's more, driven on by Christine's desire to avoid sleeping in a dormitory we have walked half way across the Dolomites to a small hotel on the northern side of the famous skiing circuit, the Sella Ronda.

Peitlerkofel in the sun!

Although we had been promised better weather it was the same old mist that greeted us this morning. Then, just as we thinking about waterproofs everything changed, the mist cleared and the huge Peitlerkofel, towering above the hotel was illuminated by the early morning sun.  We could hardly believe our luck.

Day 13 Munich to Venice - Würzjoch

Last night was somewhat depressing.  The cloud had descended and the hut at Kreuzwiesen Alm was surrounded by dense mist.  Much worse Christine and I were in a 30 bed lager or dormitory. It felt like we had been sent to the naughty room as everyone else seemed to have a proper bedroom. What's more the smell in the place was not pleasant, a poisonous combination of damp rotting socks and cow dung.

Cows leaving our dormitory

The surprising outcome, however was that we got a reasonable  night's sleep. Despite its size there were only two other people in the huge space and they had sensibly positioned themselves as far away from us as they could.  Everyone else who had their 'own' room ended up sharing it with one or two strangers, so maybe the 'dorm' isn't the thing of dread we had cooked it up to be.  We even discovered why it smelt of cows, it was because there were cows living in the basement who turned  out, apart from the smell, to be very good neighbours.

Day 12 Munich to Venice - Kreuzwiesen Alm

6hrs 30mins 25km 1300m ascent 530m descent.

Because we stayed two nights hiding from the rain at Pfitscherjoch the group of Germans we had said our goodbyes to at the Tuxer-Joch-Haus caught us up again last night at Pfunders.  They were a bit surprised to see us. Some have been left behind, others have joined but the core group, together since Tutzinger Hütte, remains and now once again we're part of it.

Chapel to the south of Pfunders

Day 10 Munich to Venice - Pfitserjoch

The great thing about place to place hiking is that stuff happens.  Tonight we expected to be staying in a dormitory but although we are on top of a mountain we have our own room, own shower and own space.  After another really tough day in the snow and the rain, getting cold with wet feet, you can't imagine how our mood has been transformed by some genuine comfort.

Leaving Tuxerjochhaus - Hintertux in the background

Tuxerjochhaus

Day 11 - Munich to Venice - Pfunders

1200m ascent, 2000 descent, 17.5km 7hrs

Technically speaking today is Day 12 as yesterday, Day 11, was spent stranded in the 'hut' at Pfitscher Joch on the border between Italy and Austria.  Staying there was a bit strange as we got stranded there 2 years ago on another walk.  The hut has finished its upgrade since then and is now a splendid place but the people running it are just the same.  They include a very kind but unfortunately enormous lady who never moves from her stool behind the cash machine.  It was weird staying there.  Just like last time we spent the whole day in a building in a dense shroud of mist being lashed by rain.  The situation felt potentially never ending, as if the world had come to an end.

Leaving Pfitscherjoch

Day 9 Munich to Venice: Tuxer Joch Haus

There is something about walking in the company of Germans that brings out what frankly is a very wide competitive streak in my wife Christine.  Worst still are young athletic German women - they send her flying up the mountain with me struggling breathless  behind her.

Lizumer Hütte

Today all the above conditions applied and then some.

The walk was scheduled to take 6.30 minutes and involved 1250m of ascent and a climb over a pass.  The weather forecast was poor but worse early on.  There was fresh snow on the high ground and we had been warned that we would need to be careful.  The sensible option was a late start.

Leaving Lizumer Hütte and climbing the Geierjoch (2743m)

Day 8 Munich to Venice - Lizumer Hutte

17 km, ascent 1800m, descent 400m 7hrs

Having changed our itinerary and chickened out of the high level route from Glungezer to Lizumer Hut we spent all day trying to convince ourselves we made the right decision.  We definitely wouldn't have seen anything - visibility was down to 5m when we got to Lizumer, but the forecast rain didn't materialise so at a push we could have done it (and at least two of our fellow travellers  did).  We didn't see much on the walk up from Wattens because of the low cloud. The trail was wet and we both ended up with wet feet because the water got through our lightweight  shoes despite  the gortex. Critically however we would have missed out on the hotel in Wattens, a very good dinner and a delicous bottle of dry Austrian Reisling.  On balance I think we did the right thing.

Wooden chapel south of Wattens